The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the conference report for the 2014 Farm Bill by a vote of 251 to 166. The farm bill conference committee approved the conference report for the bill on Jan. 27. A U.S. Senate vote is expected next week. READ MORESHARE

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects has reported that 269 megawatts (MW) of biomass capacity was brought online in December, bringing the total for 2013 to 777 MW of new biomass capacity. READ MORESHARE

The U.S. EPA has published renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for December and all of 2013, reporting that the biofuel industry generated nearly 16.62 billion RINs last year, including nearly 1 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORESHARE

The U.S. EPA has announced it is granting petitions filed by the American Petroleum Institute and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers for reconsideration of the cellulosic biofuel volume requirement under the 2013 renewable fuel standard. READ MORESHARE

Job creation, higher wages and investments in the U.S. education system were a few of several focus points during President Obama's State of the Union address, which reiterated the administration's "all-of-the-above" energy strategy. READ MORESHARE

More than 200 listeners tuned into Biomass Magazine's Jan. 30 webinar, which showcased pellet port developments and projects. The event featured four speakers who discussed various aspects of developing pellet export facilities. READ MORESHARE

Swedish forestry company RusForest AB has announced the start of wood pellet production at the LDK-3 sawmill at Arkhangelsk in the northwestern region of Russia. Construction on the plant began in June 2103. READ MORESHARE

Iowa State University's pyrolysis pilot plant has undergone upgrades supported by $75,000 from the Leading the Bioeconomy Initiative at Iowa State. The improvements will help researchers gain a better understanding of the art of fast pyrolysis. READ MORESHARE

Dyadic International Inc. has announced that the expansion of its research laboratory in The Netherlands is complete. Increased space allows for the installation of a range of state-of-the-art research equipment, including a new fermentation lab.READ MORESHARE

The U.S. Farm Bill is a five-year piece of legislation that typically takes six years to develop and reach consensus among U.S. senators, representatives, and the president. Orchestrating this feat is nothing short of a miracle.READ MORESHARE

Resources for the Future hosted a seminar Jan. 29 focused on the issues of carbon accounting and forest management. The event was titled "Considering the Contributions of Forests in the Management of Greenhouse Gas Emissions."READ MORESHARE

U.K.-based Emerald Biogas has opened its GPB 8 million ($13.26 million) food waste to energy facility at the Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate in northern England. The facility will take in 50,000 metric tons of recycled food waste annually. READ MORESHARE

A report recently released by Innasol and business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan takes a detailed look at the U.K.'s heating industry and examines the savings homes and businesses can achieve by implementing renewable heating methods.READ MORESHARE

The public comment period on the U.S. EPA's proposed rule to set 2014 volume requirements under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) closes on Jan. 28 at 11:59 p.m. Already, more than 15,500 comments have been filed on the proposal.READ MORESHARE

Forth Energy, a joint venture between Forth Ports Ltd. and SSE plc, confirms that the Scottish government has granted consent for a wood fueled renewable combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plant at the Port of Rosyth.READ MORESHARE

In December 2012, the European Commission committed to fund innovative Verbio AG technology for the production of biomethane from straw. The project has now officially been launched, following the execution of the grant agreement. READ MORESHARE

Airbus and key Malaysian partners have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to assess local solutions for sustainable biomass production in Malaysia for use in jet fuel production. The first assessment is expected to be complete this year. READ MORESHARE

The agriculture committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate have announced a bipartisan agreement on a new five-year Farm Bill. The House is expected to vote on the measure on Jan. 29, with a Senate vote expected soon after. READ MORESHARE